Although outright victory eluded him in the Grand Finale, Kilmallock’s Paudie Moloney, whose rise to television stardom is boundless, won a legion of admirers over weeks upon weeks of participation in Dancing With the Stars (DWTS) on RTÉ.
He and dance partner Laura Nolan danced to two pieces, ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’ and ‘Stop the World and Let Me Off.’
Ahead of his final appearance, in praise of dance partner Laura, Paudie posted: “I want to put on record. I don’t have enough words to describe how grateful I am to Laura for all that she’s done for me during this process.
“She’s made this journey so easy for me, so much fun, and so interesting. I actually know how to dance, I think anyway. I think I know how to dance and I’m really and truly grateful for that.
“This girl has been an absolutely fantastic human, a fantastic dancer. I could not have done this journey with anybody else. I am telling you now, I will forever be grateful to Laura Nolan for what she has done for me and how good she has made this journey for me.
“Laura, thank you very much. I really appreciate it.”
In reply, Laura said: “I’ve loved every second of this and I’m so delighted I got to do it with you.
“We’ve had the best time and thank you for making it so memorable.”
Paudie first came to national attention through his appearance on the first series of The Traitors Ireland last year, and he subsequently guest appeared on Googlebox Ireland, alongside his son Andrew and daughter Aoife.
Ireland’s newest sensation celebrated his 69th birthday on St. Patrick’s Day, one which he enjoyed with his wife Bernadette, children (Edwina, Antoinette, Aoife and Andrew) and grandchildren (Dylan, Shane, Callum, Gavin, Alana, Amelia, Fionn, Scott, Adeline and Oisín).
DWTS 2026 was won by Rose of Tralee Katelyn Cummins.